...Trying to Branch off from Pet Portraits

[DanSir]

Hi,

I would like to know what everyone thinks. Normally, I do pet portraits, but i would eventually like to branch into 'people portraits'. I also have the larger file if anyone wants to play around with the picture...





thanks,
DanSir

[ajax_andy]

Originally Posted by DanSir

Hi,

I would like to know what everyone thinks. Normally, I do pet portraits, but i would eventually like to branch into 'people portraits'. I also have the larger file if anyone wants to play around with the picture...





thanks,
DanSir

Skin tone looks a bit off too me, the focus is soft around the eyes and this is something that probably needs to be worked on a little when shooting human portraits, her head position looks a bit weird (its tiled to the side which is good but maybe a bit forwards too which makes it look like she has a heavy head) and I'd recommend looking in to how to pose people in pics to get the best shot... even a great shot can be ruined by someone posing badly.

I dont like the top she has on tbh as it kind of looks a bit like she is wearing a bed sheet, and the fact her hand is in side the sleeve makes it look like she is missing her left hand a bit.

Sorry I dont mean to be harsh but there is a lot wrong with this pic, I dont think it's an awful 1st attempt but I do feel you have a few areas that need to be worked on.

Personally I'd recommend trying some more natural outdoor shoots first, nailing a studio style shot is a lot harder than photographing someone in a more relaxed and informal setting.

On the plus side the exposure seems ok but overall I think you've unfortunately missed the mark with this shot

[DanSir]

Originally Posted by ajax_andy

Skin tone looks a bit off too me, the focus is soft around the eyes and this is something that probably needs to be worked on a little when shooting human portraits, her head position looks a bit weird (its tiled to the side which is good but maybe a bit forwards too which makes it look like she has a heavy head) and I'd recommend looking in to how to pose people in pics to get the best shot... even a great shot can be ruined by someone posing badly.

I dont like the top she has on tbh as it kind of looks a bit like she is wearing a bed sheet, and the fact her hand is in side the sleeve makes it look like she is missing her left hand a bit.

Sorry I dont mean to be harsh but there is a lot wrong with this pic, I dont think it's an awful 1st attempt but I do feel you have a few areas that need to be worked on.

Personally I'd recommend trying some more natural outdoor shoots first, nailing a studio style shot is a lot harder than photographing someone in a more relaxed and informal setting.

On the plus side the exposure seems ok but overall I think you've unfortunately missed the mark with this shot

sadly, outside is not an option. So I am stuck with the off white wall in a small room, with a lamp and a fluroscent reading light...next time i will try a different shirt and see how that turns out...

i can pose other people, well, semi-decently, just not myself. :|

how can i "pose" myself better, when the camera is on an automatic timer to take the shot from a tripod?

DanSir

[ajax_andy]

Originally Posted by DanSir

sadly, outside is not an option. So I am stuck with the off white wall in a small room, with a lamp and a fluroscent reading light...next time i will try a different shirt and see how that turns out...

i can pose other people, well, semi-decently, just not myself. :|

how can i "pose" myself better, when the camera is on an automatic timer to take the shot from a tripod?

DanSir

Hi, sorry at no point did you say this was a self portrait. The fact it is changes things slightly as a self portrait is much harder to pull off.

A lamp and fluroscent reading light will cause the colour cast experienced here, not a lot you can do about that unfortunately although changing the white balance post production could help a little

[DanSir]

Originally Posted by ajax_andy

A lamp and fluroscent reading light will cause the colour cast experienced here, not a lot you can do about that unfortunately although changing the white balance post production could help a little

... as for my left hand, it is recovering from an accident that required stitches....

how can make the next photo better - given the same/if not similar situation...

DanSir

[wulf]

Originally Posted by DanSir

... as for my left hand, it is recovering from an accident that required stitches....

how can make the next photo better - given the same/if not similar situation...

Do what you did with the right hand and keep it out of the picture.

Three other points that might be worth considering are:

1. You look pasted onto the background (did you paint out some of the background in post production to make it even or is that just the lighting?)

2. Your head looks pasted on (due to the strong line all round your chin)

3. The dark choker doesn't do you favours either (again, it could be a point where two images are joined together).

Unless you want to make a statement about feeling patched together like a collage, I'd try to avoid creating the effect of several images joined together for the next one. How about starting not with a camera but with pencil and paper, sketching out ideas to try? That's my normal approach when planning a self-portraiture series, even if the shots don't necessarily turn out like the sketches.

Wulf

[DanSir]

Originally Posted by wulf

Do what you did with the right hand and keep it out of the picture.

Three other points that might be worth considering are:

1. You look pasted onto the background (did you paint out some of the background in post production to make it even or is that just the lighting?)

2. Your head looks pasted on (due to the strong line all round your chin)

3. The dark choker doesn't do you favours either (again, it could be a point where two images are joined together).

Unless you want to make a statement about feeling patched together like a collage, I'd try to avoid creating the effect of several images joined together for the next one. How about starting not with a camera but with pencil and paper, sketching out ideas to try? That's my normal approach when planning a self-portraiture series, even if the shots don't necessarily turn out like the sketches.

Wulf

the only edits that were done to the picture was red-eye reduction and cropping closer in and adding "soft light - reduced to 45%". that is actual color of the wall. i cropped out the darts board.

no my head is not pasted on. I, honestly, never considered taking off my necklace.

DanSir

[ajax_andy]

Originally Posted by DanSir

... as for my left hand, it is recovering from an accident that required stitches....

how can make the next photo better - given the same/if not similar situation...

DanSir

If you're hand is still recovering from an accident then there isn't much you can do about that and hiding it is probably the best option (the problem here is you aren't giving us much information until after we've commented... ideally you should give as much as possible in the initial post to avoid us commenting on areas that might be a little sensitive).

Moving on from that I'd say you're going to need to try 3 things:

1) Learn how to ammend white balance in post production to try and sort out the colour cast from using the wrong type of lighting (that's not a criticism as you dont have the right kind of lighting and are clearly working with what you have)

2) Try a black and white conversion if you can't sort out the colour cast. Tbh I always think on a light background black and white works a lot better than colour anyway

3) Don't tilt your head forwards at all, like I said it makes your head look like it's too heavy to keep up, you ideally should have it tilted to the side like you have here, but not forwards

The main problem IMO that you have is that you are trying to shoot a studio style shot without any studio equipment... even with it's a hard thing to get right if you haven't practiced lots. With your current set up you'll always have certain issues relating to the lighting, colour cast and also the fact you are doing a self portrait which isn't an easy skill to pull off.

In an ideal world I would recommend the following, however I know we dont live in an ideal world and you may not be able to do what I suggest:

1) Buy a couple of cheap Yongnou flashes - you can pick these up for about £35 each (not sure where you live but it's easy to convert to another currency using xe.com if required)
2) Buy a couple of light stands for about £10 each
3) Buy wireless receivers and a trigger for about £50
4) Buy a couple of umbrellas for about £5 each

You'll achieve much better results using the right equipment... like I said you may not be able to afford that, but if you can then it's the best way forward.

Oh and keep practicing and submit further pics for feedback as it's the best way to learn

[Ridgetop]

I think I can see where you were trying to go with this. The sexy look with the sheet almost worked, but unfortunately, as pointed out, the missing hand gave it a straight-jacket look. You could get away with using a sheet or fancy fabric but just cross it over yourself and then expose your shoulders. As for self posing, if you have a big mirror lying around you could put a ways behind the camera (in a position that won't send light towards you - well unless you want it to) so you can see your pose. For your injured hands, do you have any fancy-formal gloves? Can be sexy if done right. A woman's neck is sexy, make sure to make use of that and as others have said, go ahead and hold your head up a little more! Doing self portraits and getting the eyes in focus is seriously difficult. Use something like F5.6 on your F-Stops to begin with and practice with. Sounds dumb maybe, but I have a ball stuck on an end of an old broomstick with eyes painted onto it which is then stuck in a weighted bucket. I can approximate my focus point and set the camera and pose accordingly if I have a problem with getting the focus on the eyes. You can buy some high output flourescent bulbs and reflectors at a hardware/home store that you could practice with. Very cheap way to practice lighting if you aren't too worried about color cast (although, overall my luck has been good). Good way to practice black and white Rembrandt lighting also. There's been a lot of critique here by everyone, but overall you're on your way so don't get discouraged. Also, don't be afraid to use clean white sheets hung on the wall as a background if you need to clean up the wall. Have fun and keep trying/submitting those shots. I bet we'll see some great ones.